Whispers from the Shadows
by dragoncymru
Summary: The TARDIS lands in the Welsh village of Pontachor where something terrible is awakening. Can the Doctor defeat an alien enemy from a dead civilisation? This is the fourth story in my series, following on from 'Splinter of Steel'.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Megan put some ice in the orange juice, fetched the pint of bitter from the pump and took the money. "Thanks Huw," she smiled as she gave the man his change. She blew out a breath. 'The Stag' was certainly busy tonight! She sneaked a sip of her water, pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and looked quickly around the bar. There was no sign of Nikki or Mark though.

"Megan!" called David Williams, the owner of 'The Stag'. "The number two pump needs changing. Can you pop down and do it? Quick as you can love?"

Megan smiled at her father. "Right Dad!" she called back. She left the bar and walked down the short stone corridor to the cellar door, opened it and switched on the light.

She started carefully down the stone steps. They could be slippery and she didn't really fancy a trip to casualty in Aberystwyth tonight - going to university there was bad enough! Megan smiled to herself as she reached the bottom of the steps. Growing up in a pub had advantages, and plenty of places to hide and explore, but she always remembered the time when she got locked in the cellar by mistake. She had just turned four and had spent the best part of a day down here in the dark, being too small to reach the light switch. Those hours had seen her imagine all kinds of bogeymen in the darkness and no amount of shouting or crying had brought the comforting arms of her parents. For years after she had never ventured into the cellar again; too afraid to meet the demons she had escaped the first time.

It was a matter of moments to change the pump to a different barrel when suddenly the light above her flickered and went out. Megan's heart leapt into her mouth and all the terrifying memories came flooding back. She felt ice cold in the darkness and looked around frantically. After only a second that seemed to last for eternity, the light bulb flickered back into life. Megan wasted no time and ran back up the stairs to the cellar door. For an instant, she thought the door had been locked and her heart pounded in her chest, but it must have been her panic as after a moment, the handle turned easily. She flicked the light switch off and left the cellar in darkness, closing the door firmly behind her.

Everything was quiet in the cellar until, from the darkness, came an evil snigger.

**1.**

A warm afternoon sun shone down onto green hills, rolling fields and the leafy trees that speckled the rural landscape. Birdsong filled the air, together with the heady smell of freshly cut grass. In the distance, a church bell rang four times.

A magpie was startled from the branches of a tree and flew off as the sudden unearthly groaning sound of the TARDIS filled the air. The lamp on top of the police box stopped flashing as the TARDIS door opened. The Doctor stepped out and smiled, giving a slow stretch. He breathed in a great lungful of air and let it out again. "Ah, lovely!" he said, taking off his coat and throwing it back inside the TARDIS. He looked around him, putting his hand up to shade his eyes from the afternoon sun. He glanced back into the ship. "Come on you two, don't hang around!" he called.

Jack appeared in the doorway of the TARDIS. He looked around and grinned at the Doctor. "Earth?"

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed in mock indignation. "A pleasant British Summer's day – and it's not even raining!" He paused. "Well, not yet anyway!"

Jack stepped out onto the grass, his usual army coat replaced by an open necked shirt and short leather jacket. He was followed by Katherine who still wore the same blue and white patterned dress she had worn in London in their last adventure. "This looks a lot more civilised," she smiled.

The TARDIS has landed on the top of a small hill, in the middle of a wooded copse. Warm sunshine filtered through the leaves and branches. Katherine walked forwards and looked down over the fields and trees, where she could just see some thatched and tiled rooftops and the unmistakeable sight of a church spire. "Doctor!" she exclaimed. "I think I can see a small village over there." She turned to face the Doctor and Jack. "It looks just like Dabarre!" she smiled, remembering the wonderful village where she had spent her childhood. She straightened her dress and started walking briskly down the slope of the hill. "Come on you two," she called cheekily over her shoulder.

**2.**

Exchanging a rueful grin at the way Katherine had already taken charge, the Doctor and Jack followed Katherine down the hill. "Do you know _exactly_ where we are, Doctor?" Jack asked him.

The Doctor nodded vaguely. "Yes, well early twenty-first century, but definitely not France though. Could be Wales, I think, judging by the colour of those mountains," he replied as he gestured to some rugged, grey peaks in the far distance. He sighed contentedly and rummaged in his jacket pocket to produce a crumpled paper bag. He opened the bag and offered it to Jack. "Jelly baby?" he asked him.

Jack took a sweet from the bag and popped it tentatively into his mouth. "Where did you get those?"

"Been having a bit of a clear out," replied the Doctor as he chewed on his own jelly baby, "there's loads of stuff in the TARDIS." He frowned. "Some clothes I don't think even you'd be seen dead in!" He ran his tongue over his mouth. "I always used to eat these, don't know how my teeth withstood it!" Then he made a face. "Ugh, red!" He stopped walking abruptly. "I used to love red!" He shook his head in confusion. "Regeneration can be a risky business I suppose!"

Jack laughed out loud and clapped a slightly bemused Doctor on the shoulder as they started following Katherine again.

They walked for a few minutes, keeping a line of gently blowing trees to their left, before they came to an old wooden stile. Katherine climbed gracefully over, and was followed by the Doctor and Jack. There were no trees directly in front of them and she got a clear view of the valley below her. "Look, I was right, there _is_ a village," she said. "It's only about half a mile away."

Jack jumped down from the stile and as he did, his boot brushed at the something on the ground. It was a rectangular piece of plastic. He bent down and picked up a student identity card. A small photo of a pretty redheaded girl in her late teens was stuck to it and the name above read "Nicola Bennett."

**3.**

Jack picked up the small card from the ground. "Hey, look at this!" he called to the others.

The Doctor took the card from Jack and examined it. "This is a student card. It looks like our Nicola is a tourist too, and from Boston USA no less! Nice place Boston; good tea parties!" He put the card in his jacket pocket. "We'll return it if we see her."

The three travellers continued down the rough muddy track until it ended by a road that went both left and right. The Doctor looked up and down the road. "There you are," he said as he pointed to the left and to some houses that lay on the far side of a large old stone bridge. "The village is just over the bridge."

"Let's go there then," smiled Katherine. "It looks lovely!"

They walked to the bridge and started across it. The bridge was about forty feet in length and spanned a gorge. Jack paused and looked over the edge and down into the deep gorge below. Over a hundred feet below, a small river about ten feet in width trickled between boulders and stones "That's a Hell of a way down!" he whistled, picking up a nearby fallen branch and dropping it over the edge.

The Doctor watched it tumble to the river far below. "Not the best place for Pooh sticks then!" he agreed.

Katherine was ahead of her friends at the far edge of the bridge when she suddenly stopped and shivered. A strange sensation had crept over her, like she walked under a shadow.

"What's wrong?" asked the Doctor walking up to her

"I don't know," frowned Katherine, wrapping her arms around body. "I just got this chill from nowhere."

"Somebody walk over your grave?" teased Jack, catching up with his two friends.

Katherine looked him blankly; she had never heard of the expression. But before she could ask what it meant, there was the sudden sound of scampering feet. A large Alsatian dog came bounding out from the bushes along the side of the road and ran towards them on the bridge, growling and barking fiercely and baring sharp teeth.

**4.**

The Doctor pushed Katherine behind him to protect her as the dog got closer, still snarling and barking. Jack stood next to him, bracing himself for action.

Suddenly a man's voice came from the bushes. "Toby, down boy!" it ordered sharply.

The dog immediately stopped snarling and turned to sit at the heels of a man who emerged from the bushes. He was middle aged, handsome with greying blonde hair and clearly fit and healthy. He wore a green wax jacket, thick grey trousers and sturdy walking boots. "Sorry about that," he apologised in a light Welsh accent. "He doesn't normally do that to people," he ruffled the dog's ears affectionately, "do you boy?" He straightened up and looked at the time travellers again. "Awfully sorry; the name's Deering, but people around here just call me Sir William. Are you staying at Pontachor?" he asked, proffering his hand.

The Doctor smiled at the unconscious snobbery but shook Deering's hand. "No we've just arrived. I'm the Doctor and these are my friends Jack Harkness and Katherine de Gallois."

Sir William nodded to Katherine. "You're French? En chante mademoiselle!"

Katherine smiled graciously and gave a short curtsey. "Merci, monsieur!"

Deering rubbed his hands together. "Splendid! Well now that we're introduced, I'll walk with you to the village. I'm going back there to meet my wife anyway. Perhaps I can show you the pub? They do a good meal and pint at 'The Stag' and I think they still have a room or two if you want to stay for the night."

The Doctor nodded. "That sounds fantastic. We could all do with a relaxing night!"

Katherine looked a little nervously at Toby, but the dog seemed to be perfectly happy as they all crossed the bridge and walked towards the village. Katherine looked back over her shoulder at the bridge and shuddered again. She couldn't help feeling uneasy, but the awful creping sensation that she had felt earlier had passed.

"Your village has a very interesting name Sir William," commented the Doctor lightly. "Pontachor?"

"What does it mean in English?" asked Jack.

Sir William paused momentarily before replying. "Fear's Bridge," he said evenly.

**5.**

Jack blew out a breath at the name of the village. "Bet that pulls in the tourists!" he quipped.

"Ah, ancient legends and superstitions" snorted Sir William, good-naturedly. "It's my wife you want to talk to about all that; she knows it all; teaches in the primary school you know."

Katherine gave the Doctor a worried glance, but he shook his head reassuringly. "Yes I'd like that," he said to Sir William enthusiastically.

"Splendid!" exclaimed Deering. "Keep her out of my way for a few hours at least!" he laughed.

Alongside the road, houses and cottages began to appear as they got closer to the village. Some were big, with large appointed gardens full of wild flowers and colourful borders; others were short rows of small, grey stone cottages with garden gates that led directly onto the road.

"What a beautiful village!" exclaimed Katherine as the road took an abrupt turn to the left, revealing a rolling village green, complete with a small duck pond in the centre and surrounded by graceful willow trees. Clustered around the green were more houses, a small post office, and beyond that they could see an old stone church; the tall spire reaching up into the clear afternoon sky.

"And a very impressive church Sir William," complimented the Doctor.

"Yes it is, isn't it!" replied Deering proudly, slapping his leg so that Toby came to heel. "We almost lost that spire a few weeks ago; terrible storm one night that caused quite a bit of damage!"

"You were lucky," said Jack, looking around the village with interest.

"Not personally," grumbled Sir William with a frown. "Lightning hit my house and I'm still repairing the damage! Still," he reflected, "almost done now. Should be all finished in a week or so! Anyway," he gestured to an impressive coach house with a beautiful thatched roof ahead of them, "here's 'The Stag'!"

'The Stag', was a beautiful example of a country pub with white stonework, painted black wooden beams and hanging baskets stuffed with colourful flowers. A few people sat drinking at benches and tables outside as a pretty, young blonde waitress collected glasses from empty tables.

**6.**

"Afternoon Megan," called Sir William cheerfully. "I've brought you some customers if you have any spare rooms for the night.

Megan turned and smiled at Deering. "I think we have Sir William, I'll go and ask my Dad."

"Is Louisa in there?" asked Sir William.

Megan nodded and smiled. "I think your wife's in the lounge Sir William" she replied, picking up a last glass and balancing it on a tray.

"Splendid!" Deering exclaimed and made for the pub. "Toby, stay!" he commanded and the Alsatian obediently sat next to the door. The aristocrat glanced around at the Doctor, Jack and Katherine. "Care to join us for a drink chaps?"

Megan smiled at the travellers. "Would you like some food, we've just started serving for the evening."

Katherine suddenly realised how hungry she was. "Oh, yes please!" she replied, and Jack nodded as well.

The Doctor grinned. This was turning out to be just what they needed.

**************************

The gorge beneath the old stone bridge was so deep that even in midsummer the sunshine never quite reached the bottom of it. This lack of warmth may have explained why there was a total absence of flowers in the gorge all year round. Another reason may have been the soil. Although no botanists had ever conducted a survey here, they would have found it grey and barren, with any nutrients having been leeched away. Which was curious since the river that ran through the gorge should have provided plenty.

As the summer afternoon wore on, the shadows in the gorge became longer and the temperature dropped considerably, enough to make it feel quite chilly, even though there was no wind. The river at this time of year was little more than a trickle and at the bottom of the gorge, just above the water line, were several large and heavy boulders that had lain there for centuries covered in various mosses and lichen.

A water rat scurried over the boulders and then quickly stopped and sniffed the air. Without warning it gave a squeal of terror and its' body seemed to twist and thrash about the rock until it fell limply to the ground.

Suddenly, one of the boulders moved ever so slightly. The dirt and shingle that had been unmoved for generations was dislodged and trickled down around it. As the boulder moved again, this time more forcefully, the trickle turned into a stream of grit and pebbles. The boulder was suddenly pushed by some unknown force and flung aside to reveal a dark passageway behind it that led into the side of the gorge.

From the darkness came a low hiss of triumph.


	2. Chapter 2

**7.**

The Doctor, Jack and Katherine sat at a table in 'The Stag' with Sir William Deering and his wife Louisa. The pub was fairly busy and Megan was rushing between tables, serving food and clearing away empty glasses. They had enjoyed a hearty meal of steak pie, chips, and fresh vegetables and now the Doctor and Jack were washing it down with a second bottle of red wine. Katherine had become slightly bored with the conversation and had excused herself to talk to Megan, when she had a moment behind the bar, and now sat perched precariously on a barstool.

Sir William's wife Louisa had turned out to be a very sociable and welcoming woman with a quick wit and a ready smile. She was in her early forties with long brown hair that she pinned back into a ponytail. Louisa had married Sir William nearly twenty years ago and was a Northerner, originally coming from near Sheffield. The couple had moved back to Sir William's parents' manor at Pontachor and lived there for over twelve years. She had just taken Toby out some water and now returned to the table carrying some more drinks. She put the tray on the table and sat next to her husband. "There we are."

The Doctor picked up his glass and smiled at Louisa. "Sir William told us that you teach in the school here."

Louisa nodded. "It's only a small school, just one class for the local children, but I enjoy it. I always shed a tear when they leave to go to the big schools in Aberystwyth."

Jack took a swig of his wine and chuckled. "He also said you knew all about the spooky legends."

She nodded and laughed. "Yes that's right. You must come up to the hall. I've got some books in the library that explain all about the monk and the bridge!" Her voice lowered theatrically.

Katherine walked excitedly across the room and sat next to the Doctor. She was followed by Megan who had a concerned look on her face. "Doctor," Katherine began urgently, "you know that card we found?"

The Doctor nodded, remembering the student card they had picked up. He pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. "Here it is. Nicola Bennett. What about it?"

Megan nodded and bit her lip worriedly when she saw the photo of the redheaded girl. "That's Nikki! I haven't seen her for two days!"

**8.**

"Who is Nikki?" asked Sir William, putting down his glass on the table.

"She's an American. She's backpacking around the area with her boyfriend Mark" explained Megan.

"Then perhaps they've just moved on to a new area," reasoned Louisa. "You know what these Americans are like!" Jack cleared his throat and grinned at Louisa, who just smiled sweetly back at him.

"I don't think so. They've been in 'The Stag' for a few nights, and we got chatting. They didn't say they were moving on. I hope nothing has happened" said Megan.

"Alright," said Sir William reassuringly and patting Megan's shoulder. "There's no point in doing anything today. PC Hughes will have gone home anyway! We'll ask him in the morning to keep a look out."

Katherine looked across at the Doctor. He seemed to be distant and lost in thought although she guessed that his mind was probably racing. "Doctor?" she prompted.

He refocused and smiled at her. "I think Sir William's right. It's too late today, and it could be a false alarm anyway." He grinned at Megan. "I hope these rooms of yours have comfy beds!"

*****************

After a wonderful hot bath, Katherine had slid into a welcoming bed with crisp white sheets and relaxed her head on the soft pillow. She'd had a lovely relaxing afternoon and a terrific meal, and allowed herself to gently drift off. Perhaps travelling with the Doctor could be fun. Pontachor was certainly more restful than the snowy prison planet of Callis IV or London in 1940. She liked the people here too. Sir William and his wife seemed nice enough, and she liked Megan a lot. It was nice to talk to a girl of about her age again, even though she guessed she could give Megan about five years. Katherine smiled to herself. About four hundred and five years actually!

Unnoticed by a drowsy Katherine, the glass of water next to her bed suddenly frosted over as the temperature of the room dropped. Close to the floor, a patch of grey swirling mist appeared and started to grow into a ghostly figure dressed in a cloak and cowl.

The spectral figure loomed over the now sleeping Katherine.

**9.**

The ghostly hooded shape raised its arms and began to whisper softly in an alien, guttural language. Katherine moaned and twisted on the bed. As the whispering became more intense, she turned over and suddenly opened her eyes to see the terrifying figure above her. Katherine pushed herself away and screamed as loudly as she could, her eyes wide with fear. The figure gave an angry hiss and lunged forward but Katherine rolled quickly off the bed and ran to the door, screaming as loudly as she could. "Doctor! Jack! Help me!"

At the sound of nearby doors opening and running feet, the creature shrank back. With another hiss of anger, it began to dissipate into swirling grey mist once more.

The door burst open and the Doctor and Jack ran into the room. Katherine threw herself sobbing into Jack's arms. "It was horrible!" she cried.

The Doctor scanned the room, but could see nothing. "What was it Katherine?" he asked. "What did you see?"

Katherine took deep breaths as Jack held her. "It was a ghost; a spectre!"

Jack looked down at her. "A ghost!" he exclaimed. "What did it look like?"

Katherine wiped her face with her hand. She was a little calmer now that her friends were here. "It had a cloak and a hood over its head. It looked like a monk!"

The Doctor frowned but at that moment, David Williams, the pub owner, and Megan arrived outside the room. "Is everything alright?" the publican asked with concern.

The Doctor took a deep breath and then managed a smile. "Oh, just a nightmare Mr. Williams," he said cheerfully. "Too much cheese before bedtime I expect!" Katherine shot him a pleading look but stayed silent. "I wonder Megan," the Doctor continued pleasantly, "could Katherine stay with you tonight?"

Megan nodded and put an arm around Katherine's shoulders, an understanding look on her face. "Sure, no problem," she said gently. "Come on Katherine." The two girls walked down the corridor to Megan's room.

Williams shrugged and half smiled at the Doctor before going back to bed. Jack looked at the Doctor who had a very worried expression on his face.

**10.**

The next morning, a slightly embarrassed Katherine sat in the small breakfast room of 'The Stag' where she was just finishing her toast and coffee. According to Megan, who was serving bacon and eggs to other customers and clearing away dirty plates and cutlery from empty tables, the Doctor and Jack had come down much earlier, ate enormous fried breakfasts and gone off to see the Deerings. This had annoyed Katherine. She didn't like being kept 'safely out of harm's way' as she saw it and wanted to feel part of the Doctor's plans.

Megan cleared the last plates away, poured herself a cup of tea and sat next to Katherine. Katherine glowered up at her and then smiled. Megan made a sad face in return and in a moment, the two girls were laughing loudly at each other.

"Thank you," said Katherine, trying to compose herself, "I just feel so stupid!"

Megan held up a hand in mock surrender. "Hey don't shoot the messenger! I'm just telling you what the Doctor told me!" She tried to imitate the Doctor's voice, not very successfully. "Better let her sleep in; get some rest!"

The two girls giggled again. "Did he say what time they would come back?" asked Katherine.

Megan shook her head. The girls took a sip of their drinks and Katherine paused a moment. "Do you believe me when I say I've seen a ghost?"

Megan looked down at her tea cup. "Yes," she said quietly, "I do."

Katherine looked at her new friend carefully. "Why?"

Megan paused. "You said it looked like the ghost of a monk?" she said carefully. Katherine nodded. "Well there is the monastery ruins on the side of the gorge; all the legends about the monk and the bridge." She shrugged a little self consciously. "Oh, I don't know!"

Katherine put down her coffee cup and grasped Megan's hands. "Tell me!" she implored.

"Well, I could always go and show you. I'll tell you the legend on the way." Megan said brightly.

Katherine looked doubtful. "The Doctor told me to stay here," she muttered sulkily.

Megan slowly raised an eyebrow and both girls burst into giggles.

**11.**

Sir William Deering opened the small garden gate and he and Jack Harkness walked up the stone path to the cottage. The glorious sunshine of the previous afternoon had been replaced by a grey, cloudy morning that promised rain later on.

"Josh Hughes is our local PC," explained Sir William. "He lives in Pontachor but has to police the next three villages too. Cutbacks!" he chucked. "Still, today should be his day here and we're early enough to catch him. Josh doesn't normally get out and around the village until past ten!"

Jack nodded thoughtfully. "It could be nothing. The backpackers could just have moved on."

"Best to sure though," Deering agreed.

Over the front door of the cottage were the traditional blue lamp and a small sign that read 'Police'. Sir William knocked sharply on the blue door. "Morning Josh," he called brightly. "You ready to face the day yet?" PC Hughes was a popular figure with the villagers and it was no secret that he liked a pint or two at 'The Stag' most evenings.

To their surprise, the door just swung open with a creak.

Deering glanced worriedly at Jack who put a finger to his lips. Deering nodded but his eyes widened as Jack drew his revolver from his shoulder holster.

Jack took a deep breath and burst into the house, holding his gun with both hands and covering the room.

It seemed quiet and empty, but the living area they had entered had been wrecked. Papers, books and magazines had been torn and fluttered in the breeze of the suddenly opened door. An easy chair had a deep gash that had ripped the back and seat and shelves and tables had been overturned.

Jack looked around quickly, his gun up and ready. "Stay here!" he hissed at a shocked Deering. Sir William just nodded dumbly as Jack ran quickly up the stairs to check if anyone was there, but the bedrooms and bathroom were both deserted.

At the sound of a gasp from Sir William, Jack hurried back down the stairs. Sir William pointed to the kitchen. The kitchen door hung from its' hinges and in the corner was the bloody corpse of a bloodhound.

**12.**

The Doctor and Louisa sat in the Deering's rather well appointed library. Louisa picked an old book off the shelf, flicked through some pages until she found the page she wanted and then handed it to the Doctor.

The Doctor put his mug of tea on the small table next to the leather armchair and took the book from Louisa. On the pages she had opened it to, one page showed the print of an old sketched drawing depicting a figure slipping from a bridge and falling into the river below. Under that sketch was another that showed the figure, now clearly recognisable as a monk or priest, cowering in front of a horned demon. The next page had the title 'A Monk's Folly – Fear's Bridge', and text detailing the story of the old legend.

The Doctor put on his glasses and began to read aloud. "A deadly plague had been sent upon the brotherhood at St. Thomas and to protect the surrounding villages from the disease, the monks had locked themselves within their monastery. But a lowly friar that had not yet succumbed broke their vow of separation and fled across the old bridge. As his heart was not pure, God punished him and he fell into the gorge beneath. There he met the Devil who claimed him for his own. As the monk's soul was torn between piety and damnation, he is said to never have rested and watches the bridge for eternity, waiting to claim further souls to take his place in Hell."

The Doctor looked up at Louisa. "When was this supposed to happen?" he asked.

Louisa shrugged and smiled. "It's a bit vague, but looking at the style of drawing, probably about the twelfth century."

The Doctor glanced down at the book again, a worried look on his face. Louisa saw his expression and laughed. "Surely you don't believe it Doctor? It's just a myth, a legend!"

He looked up at her and she saw that he was serious. "Nearly all legends have some truth in them; that's why they're legends." He bit his lip and sighed. "And we were having such a nice time!"

**13.**

Megan led Katherine out of Pontachor and towards the stone bridge that crossed the gorge. Katherine eyed the bridge warily, superstitious fears and uneasy memories of last time making her pause before it.

"Oh come on!" teased Megan playfully. "There's nothing here that can hurt us!"

Katherine edged towards the bridge and looked over the edge and deep into the gorge beneath. The gorge was very steep with lots of large boulders and a small stream at the bottom, far below the bridge. "Is this where the monk fell?" she asked.

Megan nodded, and stood next to Katherine looking into the gorge. Katherine glanced at her friend and smiled bravely. "I'm just being stupid aren't I?"

Megan laughed. "A bit! Come on," she turned and walked across the bridge to the other side of the gorge. "The monastery isn't far, but we'll have to leave the road and climb up the hill a bit.

Katherine followed Megan to the other side of the bridge and then let out the breath she had been holding unconsciously. Nothing evil had happened to them; she was just getting carried away!

******************

Sir William leant over the washbasin and took a deep breath. He and Jack had returned to 'The Stag' from PC Hughes' cottage as Jack had insisted they not touch anything in case they disturbed any important clues that the Doctor might find. Sir William had forgotten his mobile phone as usual, so they could use the phone here to contact him at Deering Hall.

Sir William had first insisted he use the bathroom after ordering a quick brandy from David Williams. He didn't want anyone to know, but the sight of the dead and butchered bloodhound had quite upset him. He had always loved dogs ever since his late father had bought him an Alsatian pup when he was six. Louisa had often teased him that he loved Toby more than her.

He bent over and washed his face and hands. When he straightened up, his heart flew into his mouth as he looked in the mirror to see a dark figure dressed in a cloak and hood standing just behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**14.**

Sir William's blood turned to ice. He couldn't move a muscle and just watched in terror as the cloaked figure slowly raised a skeletal grey hand and placed it on his shoulder. Terrible images of fire and the angry faces of strange creatures suddenly flooded through his mind. He could hear the pounding of his heart and the roar of the blood in his veins, but mixed by with evil chuckling and whispering.

The shadow figure took its' hand from Sir William's shoulder and stood back. Suddenly, it was enveloped by an eerie grey mist that appeared around it. In a scant few seconds, the mist had evaporated and the figure had vanished completely.

Sir William turned slowly from the mirror, his face deathly pale and his breathing ragged. But his mind was consumed by a new purpose. He knew what he had to do.

******************

The Doctor put down the phone and looked worriedly at a concerned Louisa. "That was Jack. The constable's house has been wrecked and his dog killed. They went back to 'The Stag' and now they can't find Katherine or Megan either!"

"Something's happening, isn't it?" asked Louisa.

The Doctor nodded. "Missing backpackers; the thing that Katherine saw in her room," he indicated the book that he had been reading, "and the legend of the monk and the bridge; that's too many coincidences in anyone's book." He sighed and scratched his chin. "And mine says that those girls are probably in trouble!"

Louisa was already opening the door to the library and running into the hallway. "I'll get the car keys," she shouted over her shoulder.

The Doctor put his glasses in his pocket and hurriedly started to put on his blue jacket that he had flung on a nearby chair. Why didn't any of his companions ask his advice before wandering off? It almost seemed to be a prerequisite of travelling in the TARDIS! "Rule one; wander off!" he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he felt something touch his mind. The Doctor reeled and staggered in agony at the assault, his face contorted in pain. He clutched at his head and screamed, collapsing to the floor.

**15.**

Jack returned to the lounge of 'The Stag' and quickly walked across to the bar. He had searched the pub for any sign of Katherine and Megan, including both their rooms, but they clearly had gone somewhere. Not wanting to worry Megan's father unduly, Jack decided to wait for the Doctor as they had agreed over the phone. Deering Hall wasn't that far; less than ten minutes drive, so they could plan their next move then. As Jack got to the bar, he saw Sir William's glass of brandy was unattended, and looked around the room for the aristocrat but couldn't see him. 'You see Sir William?" he asked David, Megan's father, who was cleaning glasses behind the bar, as nonchalantly as he could.

"He went to the bathroom a few minutes ago," David replied.

Jack breathed out slowly in relief. "Can I get a brandy?"

"Of course," said David and served him the drink.

Jack raised the glass in salute and took a large gulp, enjoying the sharp, bitter taste of the brandy in his mouth. After a few minutes waiting however and with still no sign of Deering, Jack began to worry again.

Putting down his drink and fighting the cold feeling of dread in his stomach, Jack walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. It was empty. Jack moved through the bathroom and opened the other door that led to the outside of the pub, but there was no sign of Sir William.

"Oh that's terrific!" muttered Jack under his breath. "Now what?"

*******************

In the darkness of the tunnel, something slowly began to move.

A grey, clawed hand pulled at some loose rocks to dislodge them further and widened the hole in front of it. Panting and snarling, with large pale eyes that were almost luminous, the creature saw the cracks of daylight ahead and lurched towards it, scrambling over the last remaining stones that had formed its' crypt.

It could feel the master's will, pulling like a lodestone, calling it to service once more. The long centuries had passed since it had rested here in the sleep of the damned, but now an awakening was imminent.

**16.**

The two girls had walked along the road that left the village for nearly a mile until Megan pointed to an old stile on the edge of it. Beyond the stile was a small overgrown track that wound up the side of a hill. "There you go" Megan said, pointing it out to Katherine.

They crossed the stile and started to walk slowly up the path, carefully avoiding the nettles and overhanging tree branches that got in their way. "It looks like hardly anyone goes up here now?" said Katherine.

"Not really," agreed Megan, holding a bramble aside as she passed. "My mates and I always used to play in the ruins as kids; tell each other ghost stories when it got dark; it used to frighten the life out of us!" she laughed at the memory, although Katherine could tell that there was some false bravado in her voice. "We got into so much trouble once," she grinned as she remembered one hazy summer day so many years ago. "We decided that we were going to go ghost hunting and stay up there all night!"

"Did you ever, you know, see anything?" asked Katherine carefully.

Megan shook her head. "No, nothing at all; but it was fun though. And it worried our parents' sick!"

After about a thirty minute climb, the hill levelled out a little and Katherine could start to see a very old stone building ahead of them. Most of it had been destroyed and broken over the centuries, but there were still some walls half standing and the odd stone corner. Plenty of stones and rocks littered the abandoned ground between them. The two girls slowly entered the ruins and looked around. To Megan, this was nothing new and she remembered almost every nook and cranny from her childhood, but Katherine wandered about in awe of the ancient stone building and the centuries that had passed since it had been built

Everything was quiet and still and Katherine realised that she couldn't hear birds singing any more. The sun passed behind grey clouds and abruptly the ruins became cold and dark. Katherine shivered nervously and then realised with fear that Megan had vanished from besides her.

**17.**

Deering Hall was in fact a modest manor house that dated back to the eighteenth century and had been in the Deering family for many generations. Sir William and Louisa – she hated being called 'Lady Louisa' – had lived there since Sir William's father had passed away twelve years ago. Coming from a working class background Louisa had outlawed, much to her husband's initial dismay, any household servants. A gardener did tend the rather lovely grounds that covered a couple of acres, and Louisa did allow a cleaner to come in once a week to keep the place tidy during term time as she was too busy teaching in the local primary school; but apart from that, the couple lived there alone with their beloved dog Toby. Louisa had lost a child to miscarriage many years previously and had never wanted to attempt to start a family since, so Toby was very much their baby.

Part of the manor building now had scaffolding around it as a testament to the fierce storm that had swept over the area and the village a few weeks ago. Lightning had struck part of the house directly and caused affair bit of damage to the old brickwork.

A gravel driveway ran up to the house where next to it stood Louisa's old blue land rover and Sir Williams's other pride and joy – an old silver Bentley. Sir William had purchased the car at auction nearly a year ago much to Louisa's anger. The car had cost Sir William a few bunches of roses to pacify his wife who believed the car overpriced, even if her husband had termed it a 'classic'.

Suddenly, the air next to the house began to shimmer and twist. A golden shower of energy appeared and within it, the figures of two men. The energy dissipated and the two men, who were dressed in dark combat fatigues, looked around sharply to see if their arrival had been noticed. Realising that there was nobody around, one of them gesture towards the other and they began to move towards the house.

If Private Martin, a soldier from London in 1940, had noticed them, he would have recognised one of them. He thought the man had worked for the government.

**18.**

The Doctor still clutched his head as Louisa helped him to sit back in a leather armchair. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

He nodded slowly and opened his eyes. "Yes, I think so. Wow that was one heck of a burst!"

Louisa looked at him blankly. "What do you mean?"

"A telepathic field," the Doctor shook his head to clear it and winced, "it's like having ten banana daiquiris, but not having the fun first!" He looked at Louisa a little more seriously. "I'm not normally sensitive to them, but this was a real biggie!"

Louisa was starting to get annoyed. "Doctor, what are you talking about?"

He got to his feet a little unsteadily but his head was clearing now and he shook off her hand as she helped him. "Something's happened," he told her, "something very important and dangerous!" The Doctor stared into the middle distance. "I think something has woken up and I think that something will be very hungry. Come on!" He dashed towards the doorway. "We've got to get back to the village and meet Jack" he shouted urgently.

Louisa rolled her eyes in exasperation but ran after him into the hall. Toby the Alsatian looked up from his basket and Louisa patted her thigh. "Toby, come on boy!" Eagerly, Toby got to his feet and bounded towards the front door.

The Doctor, without pausing to see that Louisa was behind him, flung open the front door.

Standing just outside the door were the two men dressed in black combat fatigues. They raised small but powerful looking sonic blasters to cover the Doctor. "Don't move!" one of them ordered.

Louisa, with Toby at her heels, reached the door and Louisa gasped with shock when she saw the men. Toby growled fiercely at the intruders. One of the men aimed his blaster down at the dog and pressed the trigger. With a high pitched hum, a sonic beam struck Toby who collapsed to the floor with a yelp. Louisa screamed in horror and anger for her poor dog, but the Doctor grabbed her arms and held her as the men pointed their blasters at them again.

**19.**

Jack was about to return inside 'The Stag' when out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure running away between two houses on the other side of the village green. Jack squinted at the fleeing figure; it looked like Sir William. The man certainly had the same clothes on, although he had lost the green wax jacket that Deering had been wearing earlier that morning. But there was something about the way he was running – a desperate almost lurching scramble – that made Jack's heart pound. Something had happened that had terrified the older man.

"Hey! Sir William, wait up!" yelled Jack and started to run after the rapidly vanishing figure.

His quarry was lost from sight as the man turned a far corner after passing between the two houses and Jack sprinted down the alley, skidding to a halt at the end. He twisted quickly around to try to relocate the fugitive, attempting to suck the air into his aching lungs, but the figure had vanished. Jack cursed under his breath and took another few deep breaths.

Suddenly Jack saw the figure again, now climbing up a gentle hill and entering a wooded area behind the village. Jack instantly broke into a run, and this time, with his quarry in sight, he started to make ground and catch up. "Come back!" yelled Jack as he got closer, scrambling up the hill and into the shade of the trees. "Come on, we've got to talk! What's got into you?"

The figure paused, glanced back towards Jack, and then abruptly stopped running to turn and confront its pursuer. As Jack got closer, he suddenly got a good look at his quarry and stumbled to a halt. It was indeed Sir William Deering, but the man he'd been pursuing was no longer just human.

Jack backed slowly away from the creature that was once Sir William Deering. It was incredible to see the change to the man from a close distance. Instead of standing erect, he now crouched. His skin had gone almost completely grey and most of his hair had fallen out, leaving only sparse, ragged tufts on his head. Deering's eyes had got bigger and become silver in colour and his mouth now contained small pointed fangs instead of normal teeth. At the end of his fingers were long and sharp talons.

With an angry hiss, the Deering creature advanced towards Jack.

**20.**

The Doctor and Louisa sat on chairs in the library after they had been pushed back inside the house by the two men in the black combat fatigues. Louisa still had the streaks of tears on her face and sobbed quietly, but the Doctor regarded the two men coldly. They were both in their early thirties, physically fit and obviously trained for combat. One had dark, cropped hair, the other was almost bald. Both had cold, steely blue eyes and serious expressions.

"What do you want?" the Doctor asked grimly.

"We know who you are Doctor," replied the man with the dark cropped hair who came to stand in front of the Doctor. "We've been following your little trail across the time zones!"

The Doctor's eyes widened as he realised who the men were. "You're Time Agents!"

The man nodded slowly. "We're here for Harkness. Tell us where he is."

*********************

At the monastery ruins, Katherine looked about wildly for Megan, her heart pounding with fear. "Megan," she croaked her throat dry. "Megan!" she shouted again, verging on panic

Megan suddenly reappeared from behind a ruined stone wall and Katherine almost cried out with relief. Megan laughed at her friend's nervousness and held up the daisies she had bent down to pick. "What is it?" She looked at Katherine with concern. "What's wrong? Hey, you're really spooked!"

Katherine took a deep breath and looked around. Everything was quiet and still, but she felt exactly the same as when she had first crossed the bridge across the gorge. "It's this place; it's eerie."

Suddenly there was a hiss from behind another fallen wall and a creature sprang towards the two girls. It was slightly smaller than a man, with grey mottled skin and lithe, sinewy muscles. Its' face was almost dog like, with cold, lifeless grey eyes and a large, wide mouth. It snarled at them, revealing huge dirty fangs and reached out with razor sharp claws.

Katherine screamed and backed away, but then three more creatures jumped from where they had been hiding in the ruins. Megan, her face frozen in terror, grabbed hold of Katherine as, with hungry hisses and snarls, the creatures surrounded them.

_Next Time: The conclusion of this story in __**'The Curse of the Jassra'**_

**Whispers from the Shadows - Confidential**

So we finally get back to modern day Earth! I've always loved rural horror stories and this being a two part story meant that I had more time than usual to build up some characters and background. A village under threat from some dark unimaginable evil is hardly original, but it is a fun cliché to play with.

The ghouls here have never really been done in Doctor Who on TV before, so I thought they deserved a chance, and the unimaginable evil here is the Jassra, but more about that next time…………

The guest characters in this story I found particularly appealing. Megan makes a very effective friend and confidante for Katherine, and also manages to highlight the fact that Katherine is from another time by emphasising different reactions and use of language. The Welsh actress I chose for the role is Joanna Page, currently starring in 'Gavin and Stacey' as I knew she'd make a fantastic Megan. The other two main characters were the Deerings and I cast both of these with Anthony Calf as Sir William and Susan Cookson (from BBC's Casualty) as Louisa.

I really enjoyed writing the back story of the (made up) village of Pontachor, but it is based on reality if you want to check up on Devil's Bridge that spans the Mynach in Ceredigion. The legend of the fallen monk was tied to the bridge when I realised I wanted a hooded figure that drifted through the darkness….

This story also fleshes out the plot arc that began in 'Splinter of Steel' when one of the Time Agents made a fleeting appearance at the end of that story. The Agents will have a big impact on the second part of the story and indeed the rest of the stories in the season (no clues yet though).

It was when I was writing this story that the earlier ones began to appear on various websites and I started to get feedback, both on story length and content. It is amazing how much you miss as an author sometimes (even the patently obvious) and I really took some good advice and shaped this story accordingly………


End file.
